


A Christmas Gift

by chooseredemption



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: But also, Christmas AU, F/F, Pre-Relationship, christmas cry cry, happy feels, it's just meant to be a really cute thing okay, the pining is strong with this one, we just wanted to give everyone some feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-23
Updated: 2017-12-23
Packaged: 2019-02-19 06:30:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13118016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chooseredemption/pseuds/chooseredemption
Summary: Attending the CatCo Children's Christmas party was purely a PR move.  Though if asked under oath, Lena Luthor couldn't deny that there was someone else might have really been what convinced her to attend.





	A Christmas Gift

To say Lena had never been a Christmas party like this was an understatement.  She was used to black tie, elegant decorations and very little actual Christmas.  The CatCo Children’s Christmas party was the very opposite of this.  It was all noise, bright colours and just general chaos.  Festivity assaulted every single one of her senses from the moment she walked in the door.

Two children brushed against her in their haste to get inside the room.  In any other circumstance this would put someone on her hit list, but she would look beyond the lack of apology this time around.  She watched as the kids ran off giggling to become one with the crazy.

She had been here all of thirty seconds and already could feel exhaustion sink in.  She bit her lip as she tried to mentally prepare herself for the rest of the evening.

She was mulling over how long she was actually expected to stick around for, when she heard her name called out.  Part of her was surprised she even hear it over the festive songs and screaming.  Lena turned towards an overly festively dressed CatCo steward.  She forced a smile as she shook hands with him, only to find he actually jingled.  Lena counted about twelve small bells with a quick glance over his attire.  Of course, even the adults were consumed by the ‘spirit’ of the evening.

Before she could even start to ask about the plans for the evening, she was ushered off for photos.  In the unknown that was a Children’s Christmas party, this was something that was at least familiar to her.  It was the closest thing to a ritual the Luthors had.  No event, gala, party or celebration was complete without a Luthor family photo.

It used to be exciting for her.  Incredibly so.  She had never experienced anything like it.  Not only did she then have a family, but everyone knew that she did.  She loved opening the magazines left out in the lobby by her father’s office and to see her family all smiling up at her.  She loved to read the captions calling them the perfect family.  Even as she entered her adult life, she still loved the excitement of it all.  It wasn’t until her father died did she start to lose her love for the family photos.   Then Lex revealed his true interests and the family photos ended altogether.  Her mother would refuse without Lex.  She would refuse because she finally saw her family for what they really were.

Lena realised that her smile was likely the only genuine one in any of the photos.  Everyone else had treated them as a PR opportunity.  Not because family was actually important, but because everyone loved a family run business.  She had actually thrown out all her family photos recently.  Looking at them now, she didn’t feel the same excitement she had as a child about having a family, but rather it made her question had she equally just been another PR opportunity.

She pushed the negative thoughts from her mind as she focused on the only skill all the years in the spotlight had actually taught her- Small talk and PR smiles.  She had been brought to a small photo area.  Sets of people were swapped in and out to pose with her for photos.  She made the effort to engage with each group as best she could before they were rotated away for the next.

The photos would be included as part of a puff piece on philanthropy work L-Corp was carrying out in the community.  All the article had cost her was showing up at the event and the photos.  A small donation of gifts got added in later so the article wouldn’t mention her family.

As business deals went though, it was a little more tiring than her usual business deals.  She had a lot more engagement this time around.  She tried not to let out a sigh of relief when the last group finished their photos.  She wasn’t made for this kind of thing long term.  Not anymore at least.

“Let’s get one of you and Father Christmas next!”

She bit back a groan.  She could already picture the scene and cringed at the tackiness of it.

Her CatCo chaperon had all the eagerness and enthusiasm that someone could only expect at holiday party aimed for children.  In a lot of ways it reminded her of Kara.

Her friend.  Her best friend.  Her only friend.

Someone she didn’t always think about in a way that was considered friendly...

It was Kara who had suggested the puff piece in the first place, and suggested that the photos for the piece be taken at the party.

Lena had yet to figure out how to say no to Kara.  In particular an excited Kara, who had been gushing about the party and how she was making her own elf outfit for it.  To say no would have been like kicking a puppy.

Though seeing Kara in the elf outfit might have also been a factor in Lena’s decision…

She followed her chaperon through to the room designated to be Santa’s grotto was.  A line of kids was already waiting to get inside to their gifts.  Her chaperon moved to cut ahead of the line.  Lena tugged gently on his sweater to hold him back.  She tried not to think about how that made him jingle.

“I don’t mind waiting.”

He looked at her confused for a moment.  Lena guessed that in his eagerness, he forgot the point of the party.

“The kids?  I don’t want to upset anyone by being cut in front of.”

Lena watched as the issue dawned in his eyes.  He looked mildly embarrassed.

“Oh of course!  I’ll just go ahead to make sure they know you’ll be along shortly.”

He ran off to the front of the line, talking briefly to the attendant at the door.  Lena could see them from her spot in the queue.  After a few moments of back and forth the attendant gestured for someone behind the log cabin the queue led to.

She couldn’t help but grin when Kara step out into view not a moment later.  She looked amazing.  Completely corny given the occasion, but amazing nonetheless.  The elf outfit Kara wore was definitely worth the hour and a bit of small talk she had to endure.

Kara was covered head to toe in bright shades of red and green, topped off with a hairband with a small hat, also green and red attached.  Her cheeks had two very distinct spots of red blush painted on, matching the shade of the rest of her outfit.  Lena could even see little bells attached to the outfit at various places.  She was pretty sure if Kara was closer she would be able to see some glitter too.

Adorable was the best word to describe it.  Kara perfectly embodied what Santa’s little helper should be.  She was just so bright a person.  Though maybe a little taller than the typical depiction.

Kara looked over at her as one of others pointed her way.  Her face light up when she saw Lena.  She gave a small wave to Kara and smiled back.

Kara made a move to go in her direction, but was distracted as she was tapped on the shoulder by another co-worker.  She gestured back to the grotto with a sheepish look.  She had to get back to work.  It was understandable Lena supposed.  It was the busy time for Santa’s elves.  She gestured at Kara to head back in, mouthing ‘later’ as she did.  They would have plenty of time to catch up once all the chaos was wrapped up.  She didn’t need to take up Kara’s time while she was on the clock.

With a thumbs-up Kara ducked back inside to whatever wonders were inside the cabin in the middle of the room.

Lena crossed her arms and shook her head, before the line shifted again and she could a take a step closer.

“You’re too old for Santa.”

Lena was surprised by the statement and turned around to only find the girl that joined the queue behind her.  A girl that did not look very amused.

“I’m sorry?” She asked crouching down slightly to hear her better over the noise.  Maybe she had misheard.

“You’re too old.  Santa is for kids.”

Lena hummed.  The kid did have a point.  Lena could counter that it was all made up anyway so who really cared.  Out of the corner of her eye she could see a group of children happily posing in front of a reindeer statue and decided this wasn’t the place to start that conversation.

“What if I told you I wasn’t here to see Santa?” She said instead.

A look of confusion and scepticism crossed the girl’s face.

“Then why are you in the queue?”

She folded her arms and did her best to look down her nose at Lena.  Considering she was half her height, it didn’t come across quite as intimidating as Lena assumed the girl thought.  It was still a good effort.

“I’m here to see one of the elves.”

The kid scrunched her face.

“That’s weird.”

Lena smiled at the reaction.  Of course Father Christmas was going to be main attraction for anyone who had never met Kara.

“Maybe a little bit.”

She continued to talk the child as the queue moved forward, falling into asking questions and general small talk with the little girl.  Kara would dart in and out of the grotto.  She’d occasionally look over to smile at Lena before disappearing inside.

Each time, Lena felt her heart flutter.  A sensation that did warm her, but also left her with  a feeling of worry.  She really needed to figure out how to deal with the crush she was developing on her best friend.  She thought it have passed by now, but every interaction with Kara only served to make it worse.

She found herself glancing up towards the front of the line, keeping an eye out for the next time Kara would emerge to bring another group in.

It was one of those moments she felt a tug on her hand.

“You’re not listening.”

Lena turned to her queue buddy, making the visible effort to pay attention.  Especially as she was definitely caught watching out for Kara.

“I am listening.”

“No, you’re waiting for that girl to come back out so you can smile weird at her again.”

Lena felt her mouth drop open and her stomach dropped a little as she quickly glanced towards the cabin.  Was she really being called out on this by a child?  If she had worked it out after half an hour, Lena feared who else must have notice.

“Is she the elf you know?”  The little girl asked when Lena didn’t respond.

“She is,” Lena said slowly.  Her mind spinning, trying to analyse every interaction she ever had with Kara for signs the reporter might know.

“Why are you smiling at her so much?  It’s weird.”

“It’s not weird to smile at your friends,” she responded calmly.

“It looks weird when you do it.”

Lena’s lips thinned at the statement.  She considered how she acted around Kara.  She was sure she didn’t smile in a weird way.  It was definitely all normal smiles.  As normal as someone who might have feelings for their best friend can smile at least.  The concern that the little girl seemed to be picking up on it, didn’t help.

“I’ll try tone it down,” she reassured the girl.

As well as vowing it to herself.

The child considered for a moment before nodding, and returning her focus to the line.  They were near the front queue now.  Only one child ahead of them.

“Your friend is going to be my elf,” the girl remarked after a beat.

“Sorry?”

To say Lena was confused and mildly concerned at the comment was an understatement.

“I’ve been watching.  She’s going to be the one that brings me into the cabin.”

Lena glanced up to the front where there was an elf crouched down talking to the child in front.  Lena recognised them as the elf escort ahead of Kara.  She liked to think she hadn’t been paying attention to the order the rota of elves worked in, but she also knew the girl was right.  She wasn’t sure how she felt about knowing that.  Kara would come out next to take the girl in.  She hadn’t really paid attention to how their queue would line up with the rota.

“She is?”

Part of her was a little disappointed that she wouldn’t end up with Kara being her greeter.  Then she remembered she was only here for photos, not to actually see Santa.  It would be a little ridiculous for her to have the full experience.

At least she could have talked with Kara while she waited outside though, as much as she had been enjoying their mimed communications.

 “Yeah.  You should come in with me.  That way you can talk to her when I’m getting all the presents.”

Lena smiled at the kindness the little girl was showing.  She was sure it wasn’t cool to have her tag along.  The chance of getting to actually talk with Kara though…

“You don’t mind?  You know they want to take a bunch of photos when I’m in there.”

It would be mean of her to just take advantage of the little girl’s offer, just to have her then be bored by it all.

The little girl considered for a moment.  Lena could see her weighing up the pros and cons of it all in her eyes.

“If I help you, I’ll be higher up the good list.”

Lena took that to mean she didn’t mind.  She tried to remember if the good list always had a ranking associated with it.  She was sure that must be a new thing.

“Thank you.  I’ll make sure I put in a good word too.”

The girl looked Lena up and down.  Clearly trying to work out if she could really have any pull with the big guy in red.  Lena smiled in amusement.  She had seen the people here.  She clearly had the most influence in this building, if not within a five-block radius.

“Lena! Hey!”

Well, the second most influence.

“Kara, hi.”  Lena couldn’t help but return the bright smile Kara gave her.  Her stomach dropped a little, as it always did when Kara smiled at her.

“She’s with me.”

Kara looked down at the little girl.  A look of confusion crossed her face for a moment as she glanced back at Lena for a second, raising an eyebrow, before she returned her attention to the girl.

“Is Lena too scared to go in by herself?”

Lena laughed.  The little girl took the question a little more seriously.

“If she was, does that mean I get extra good points?”

Kara’s mouth fell open in confusion.  She looked like she wanted to ask, but didn’t even know how to begin.  Instead she glanced at Lena, her eyes clearly asking where this child came from.

“So many extra good points.”  Lena responded to the girl instead, smiling at the still confused Kara.

The little girl beamed excitedly at this.  It was warming to watch, even if this is all technically at her expense.

Kara started to ask the little girl about herself.  Her name was Tessa and her mother worked in one of the “numbers” divisions of CatCo.  Lena couldn’t help but notice Kara seem to relax a bit at hearing this.  She followed up by asking how she knew Lena.

“She was in line,” the girl shrugged.

“Well you two became fast friends.”

The girl shrugged again, but didn’t say anything.  It was mostly a friendship of convenience Lena was sure.

The group that was ahead of them walked out, packages in hand, laughing and jumping with excitement.  Clearly waiting for the first opportunity to rip open all the gifts.  Lena couldn’t help but notice Kara watching the group, smiling softly.  There was a twinkle in her eye as she watched them.  It was hard not to notice how bright a blue Kara’s eyes were.  Lena didn’t think she had ever seen someone with such a depth of colour in their eyes before.  It was memorising.

The little girl took the opportunity to grab Lena’s hand and pull her towards the door, clearly her turn now.

Kara had to take a double step to catch up with them when she noticed they had taken off.  She leant up close to Lena’s ear to whisper.

“Where did you even find her?”

Lena tried not to think about the action too much.  She herself tried to ignore the warmth she felt in her stomach as Kara’s breath landed against her cheek.

“She was in the line?” Parroting Tessa’s earlier answer, unable to actually think.

Lena could only shrug as Kara tried not to laugh, and took a step back as they stepped through the curtained doorway.

* * *

She was surprised by how impressive the interior of the cabin was.  It was quite tasteful too, considering it look like a group of reindeer puked confetti outside.  It seemed the opposite of outside.

The walls appeared as if made with logs, the same as the outside.  Hints of moss could even be seen in the joins.  The attention to small details really did add to the mood in the room.  The lighting was mostly dark, lanterns and fairy lights were the main source of illumination.  Lena wasn’t sure the camera sitting in the far corner would have a flash strong enough to flood the room for photos.

The tree in the corner was also far more tasteful than the ones seen outside.  A simple string of fairy lights with some bells were all it wore.  It was enough though.  It fitted the rest of the room perfectly.

The only thing that looked out of place was the mound of gifts that lay underneath it and stacked on either side.  Lena would call it gluttonous in comparison to everything else in the room, if not for the occasion at hand.

The cabin even had a fireplace, though thankfully not lit, in the corner.  A stack of firewood was stacked neatly next to it, faux snow speckled on top as if it was just brought in from the woods.

Lena could only dream of being able to own a getaway that looked like this.

She tried to take in as much as she could as she was dragged quite energetically to the corner where the big guy himself sat.  The Coca-Cola ad came to mind as Lena looked over him.  She’s sure her mouth most have fallen open a bit at the sight.  Long gone were her tacky expectations from before.  He looked so legitimate she forgot her own disbelief in Father Christmas for a moment.

“Pretty neat right?”

Kara had leant over again to whisper in her ear.  She hadn’t noticed when while taking everything in.  This time it sent a shiver down her spine.

She was barely able to nod in agreement.

The hand that had been holding hers dropped as Tessa ran up excitedly to jump up on Father Christmas.  She was already talking animatedly.

 “… and this is my friend.  She was too scared to come in herself.  She even needed to have a special elf.”

Kara laughed as she moved to stand next to her and bumped Lena’s hip with her own.  Lena could already see Kara bringing this up at the next game’s night.

“You’re too good,” Kara did add with earnest.

Lena wasn’t sure how to respond.  She could feel her neck heat up a bit.  She rolled her eyes and bumped her hip back, in the effort to downplay the compliment.  The girl really did do her a favour after all she thought as the warmth of Kara started to seep into her side from being so close.

“Oh really?  Well aren’t you a very good person to let her tag along with you?” Father Christmas was saying.

“I do this stuff all the time.  Gotta mind the little guy,” Tessa explained, puffing out her chest with pride.

Lena bit back a laugh.  The girl knew exactly how to play the game, and it was paying off.  She would be one to watch in the future.

Kara next to her was finding it a lot harder not to laugh.  She was basically buzzing next to her.  Lena bumped her hip against her to try shut her up.  It did not help the situation.

“It’s not that funny,” she whispered.

Kara glanced over at her.  Her eyes were twinkling.  It was hard to tell if it was the pure amusement of it all, or if it had to do with the lighting in the room.  Lena felt her cheeks start to heat up all the same.  Her eyes were just too pretty in this light.  Kara bit her lip then, and Lena knew she was a complete goner.

“You’re right.  Now you without your heels.  That’s hilarious.”

The comment was enough to dispel Lena’s awe.  She opened her mouth to protest that not everyone was born a tall blonde goddess.

Tessa took that moment to interrupt though.  It was probably for the best Lena would say later.

“Lena!  Santa’s talking to you.”

She whipped her head around to the little girl raising an eyebrow at her expectantly.  Her arms were folded and Lena couldn’t help but feel intimidated.  It had been a long time since she was scolded in any manner.

“I’m so sorry.  What were you saying?”

The girl mumbled something under her breath.  Too quiet for her to make out, but Kara must have heard.  She turned to cover her mouth to stifle her laughter.  Lena could tell she was loving this.  It made Lena’s stomach twist, not in a bad way though.

“He’s asking what you wanted for Christmas?”

That was a question she hadn’t heard in the longest time.  She didn’t even know where to start.  The man in red smiled at her softly, clearly feeling some sympathy for Lena.

“I…”

“That Supergirl doesn’t need to save your butt,” she hears Kara whisper beside her.

It was hard not to laugh at that one.  The girl of steel had been quite the presence in Lena’s life since her move to National City.  The hero could probably use a break from her.

“That the people in National City have a safe holiday break,” she says instead.

She hears Kara make a small noise beside her, a quick glance and Lena can see her smiling softly at the ground.

Not everyone seemed to think it was quite as nice a wish.  At least Tessa did not.

“That’s lame.  You should have asked for a puppy.”

There was an awkward beat before Kara burst out laughing.  She had finally been driven over the edge by the girl.  Lena bit her lip, trying to not to follow suit.

“Yup.  I should have,” she nodded.

Tessa turned back to Father Christmas.

“Lena wants a puppy.”

The man in red smiles and nods.

“I’ll put my best people on it.”

“I hope they’re professional.”  She side-eyes Kara who’s pushed up her glasses to wipe tears from her eyes.

“All my elves are profession, despite some appearances,” he responds kindly, though the last bit it a little drawn out.  A clear hint for Kara to pull herself together a bit.  “Kara here is my best gift picker.  Better than any other elf I’ve worked with.”

It was enough to snap Kara to action.  She used her sleeve to wipe the last of the tears and jumped to action, heading to the corner to survey all the gifts.  She made a show of it, standing up straight, arms crossed studying everything intently.  She cocked her head to the side and leant in close.  She even lifted her glasses up slightly to read some label better.

The thought that she must be short sighted crosses Lena’s mind.  That or it was part of the show.  She really was making a larger effort out of picking up a box from the pile.  She did look good doing it though.

Then again Kara always looked good.

Lena was only a little biased on the topic.

Kara exclaimed and pulled out two gifts from the pile, before skipping over to Father Christmas.  Lena mouth fell open a little at the dramatics of the display.  She would make sure to mention it later.

“Mi’lady~”

She presented one of the gifts to Tessa, who took is sceptically.  Father Christmas pointed for them to look to the other person in the room.  Lena had forgotten they were there.  They had been so quiet in the corner behind the camera.

The camera clicked and not a second later the flash illuminated everything, casting shadows that didn’t fit a place like this.  It killed the mood.  She was suddenly drawn back into the real world of this is a work event.  The only thing to make it a little bit bearable was that she had also got to goof around with Kara, even if briefly.

“Ms. Luthor would you mind standing in for some photos as well?”

She nodded and awkwardly stepped in beside Kara, who smiled and handed her the other gift with a wink.

She blushed and was about to protest to taking one, when Kara placed her hands on her shoulders and moved her to stand in front.  Kara’s hands slid down her arms.  Lena hoped Kara wouldn’t notice the goosebumps her touch left on Lena’s skin.  When Kara’s fingers traced along hers, Lena found it near impossible to not just tangle their fingers together.

The call for smiles came and she lost her opportunity.  Lena found it near impossible to think, as Kara then slide her arm around Lena’s waist and leant over her shoulder as the camera started to flash.

She was sure she forgot to smile in at least the first three photos.  She had always thought she was good at the photo thing.  Nothing had really ever prepared her when it came to Kara though.

“Can we get Ms. Luthor looking more festive?”

Lena like to think it wasn’t to make up for what must be the worst set of photos she had taken in the past decade.  A small part of her even wanted to point out that she was wearing red.  Surely that was considered festive.

It wasn’t even her fault.  Kara was just too close for her to properly focus on anything, except the places her body was close enough to feel Kara.

“I’ve got it!”

She turned to Kara, who was lifting off her headband, little elf hat affixed to the side.

Lena shook her head, eyes widening, already seeing where Kara was going with this.

“No…”

“It’s happening,” Kara teased as she placed the hairband on Lena’s head.  She considered pulling it off, or pulling away.  But she knew Kara too well.  The last this they needed in this small space was Kara and Lena ducking and weaving one another.

So, she gritted her teeth behind a tight smile.  She thought of the time and effort that went into getting her hair styled earlier that day.

She didn’t need to be concerned though.  Kara was careful and focused on not disrupting Lena’s hair too much.  She was close as she slipped the hairband on gently, tucking Lena’s hair in here, adjusting the position here and there until she was happy.

Lena tried not to think about just how close Kara was.  Her eyes had a focus to them as she worked on fixing Lena’s hair.  Lena tried not to think too much about Kara’s fingers sliding through her hair.  She was so distracted by her eyes, they were so bright, drawing Lena in.  A single step and they’d be flush against one another, and then all she would have to do is lean up…

“There.  All festive.”

She beamed at Lean, proud of her work.  Lena’s face must have been bright red at this point.  She usually would be irritated by this sort of thing, but she with Kara, she was too distracted to be.

“That’s great!  A few more photos and we should be good.” The photographer called as Kara stepped back to her photo place.  Lena put on her smile again as the camera flashed a few more times.  She felt more flustered than composed, especially when Kara decided to rest her chin on her shoulder.  She dreaded seeing the photos later on.

* * *

She really did try to return the gift Kara had handed her for the photos.  She really did.  Kara wasn’t hearing any of it though.

“You can’t give back a Santa gift.  Pretty sure it’s like ten years bad luck.”

“Oh come on Kara, we both know you’re making that up.  Don’t add to the charade.”

“What charade?”  Tessa piped up as she came over to join them leaving.

Lena froze and glanced at Kara only completely terrified she had inadvertently destroyed Christmas for a child.

Kara luckily was quick to step in and distract her.

“Lena just doesn’t want to be taking gifts that could be given to someone else.  She’s really good like that.”

“Why wouldn’t you want the gift.  Kara picked it out just for you.  I thought you were only here for Kara.”

Lena could see Kara smirk as the response.  This girl was going to get her in trouble.

“That is very true…”  Kara trailed before turning back to Lena, a pout now on her face.

Lena knew how this was going to end up.  She had to at least attempt to stop Kara though.

“Don’t…” she warned, knowing it was futile.

“I put soooo much effort into choosing your gift Lena.  You appreciate it right?  Cause I’m your best friend, aren’t I?”

Lena sighed.  Kara would just have to use her puppy face.  She knew it was her Kryptonite.

“Ugh… Of course I do…  Thank you Kara,” she said rolling her eyes.

Kara grinned, shoving the gift back into her hands.

“No take backs.”

“I swear you’re actually younger than me sometimes…”

“Pfft.” Kara waved her off, before smiling at her again.

They were still at the exit of the faux cabin.  The lighting, though not quite the same as before with the stronger outside lighting seeping in, was hitting Kara’s eyes again.  Again, something softened inside Lena.  Subconsciously she held the gift a little closer to herself.

Their eyes stayed locked for a moment.  Lena never felt the desire to lean in.  A shiver ran down her spine at the thought of how easy it would be.  She could see something in Kara’s eyes.  Something she couldn’t quite read.  Whatever it was only made her want to lean in more.

“So I’m going to go.”

They both glanced down at the little girl, breaking the connection.  Lena felt as if a tension had been released.  She could feel her cheeks heat up with the interruption though.

Tessa was looking at them, with only mild distaste this time.  She glanced out of the corner of her eye to Kara.  She equally looked like she had forgotten the existence of Tessa.

“You guys are being weird again, and I’ve got a present to open.  Bye Lena, bye Kara.”

Lena waved awkwardly as the little girl skips off.  Kara let out an awkward laugh as she disappeared back into the party.

“She really was something.  How did you find her, really?”

“Oh I really didn’t.  She found me and pretty sure was just used me to win brownie points.”

Kara laughed again, not forced from awkwardness.  It made Lena smile.

“A Luthor does have some influence I guess.”

“For the naughty list maybe,” Lena deadpanned.

“Well I know Lena Luthor is on the good list for a fact.  I checked it twice.”

Kara winked at her as she said it.  Lena played with the gift in her hands, shaking her head.

“You were born to be an elf I think.  Where else could this optimism come from?”

“Probably all the sugarcanes I’ve eaten tonight,” Kara offered.

“I’m not sure if I should pity your boss or your dentist more.”

“Har Har.”

Lena smiled at Kara, still fidgeting with the wrapped gift in her hands.  Kara scrunched her nose but smiled back.  Lena was about to ask Kara what her plans were for after the party when.

“Ms Luthor!  There you are.  We want to grab another few photos by the snowmen.”

Her escort had found her again it seemed.  She turned his direction for a moment.

“I’ll be right there.”

She turned back to Kara, who was giving her an understanding smile.

“I’ll try catch you later?”  She asked.

“Definitely.”

“Great, I’ll see you in a bit then.” Kara beamed and turned to go, her hair flipping over her shoulder as she did.  It reminded Lena.

“Wait your hairband!” She called, stuffing the gift in her purse.

She reached up to take it off as Kara turned back to her.  Before she could actually do it though, Kara was holding her hands, preventing her lighting quick.

“No.  It looks cuter on you.”

There was a beat.  Kara blushed and Lena’s stomach turned.  Lena slowly lowered her hands from her hair.  Kara’s followed, not quite holding her hands anymore, but still making contact as she moves them.

“And you need it to look festive after all,” she stammered, as if remembering where they are, and pulling her hands back.   She put them behind her back, as if fearful she would reach out to Lena again.

Not that Lena would mind in the least.  She would welcome it really.

“I’ll try find you later,” Kara said.  She gnawed on her lip for a moment, looking only a little caught out.  She then turned and disappeared back to the cabin.

* * *

Lena tried to figure out what must have been going in Kara’s mind during those few moments.  Tried to figure out the blush.  What it meant- just embarrassment or something more? 

She spent the rest of the evening in fact lingering on it.  As she was brought along to various spots in the room for more photos.

It didn’t help that she kept receiving compliments about Kara’s hairband.  It just made her think of the interaction all over again.

“A friend gave it to me,” she would smile.

“It’s really gorgeous!  Your friend has great taste.”

She spotted Tessa across the room at one point with a woman that must be her mother.  She waved when she saw Lena.  Lena returned the wave before being carted off for more photos.  She could see Tessa rolling her eyes by it.  She shrugged as if helpless as she was guided away, waving again leaving the room.

She didn’t manage to catch Kara before the night was through.  Her escort didn’t seem too keen on letting her linger as the party wrapped up either.  He guided her down to entrance for her town car to pick her up.  He ducked away pretty quick himself to give a hand with the clean-up.

She didn’t have a good reason to linger behind at this point either.  She’d only be interrupting the clean up effort, so she sat into the car.

She tried to run her hand through her hair only to bump the hairband still fixed there.

Taking it off, Lena studied it carefully.  She didn’t have the chance earlier with all the bustle of the party.  It felt very Kara.  Soft to touch with bright colours.

She thought back over the party.  It was pretty standard in a lot of ways.  She was dragged all over in the name of PR, must have been in thousands of photos, made small talk with people she’d likely never see again, and now was idly sitting on her own in the car back to her penthouse just exhausted from it all.

It was also anything but standard when she thought of her interaction with Tessa.  Nothing about that was normal for Lena.  Never had she been played so easily, known it was happening but still let it play out.  Not to mention she definitely had picked up on Lena’s feelings towards Kara in some manner.  She couldn’t have been more than nine, and seemed to see right through Lena.

She fidgeted with the hairband.  She had known something was up with how Lena acted around Kara.  Lena always thought she had a good grip on her feelings, but to have a child see right through it all, was a little worrying.

That meant Kara could see through them too.

She tried to work out if that really was the case as she thanked her driver and headed up to her apartment.

Kara had been close most of the time they were together on the night.  Close enough to make contact at that with accidental movements.  If she knew and wasn’t interested she wouldn’t do that right?

Or was she just being her usual Kara Danvers friend-to-all self?

She sighed as she unlocked the door and walked into her apartment.  Sick of the back and forth in her mind.

She tossed her bag on the couch, causing her gift from the grotto to fall out.  She had completely forgotten with all the hustle and bustle of the party.

She looked at it for a moment, still in its wrapping.  Its shape was non-descript really.  You wouldn’t be able to tell looking at it what it could be really.  She kicked off her heels and picked up the gift, turning it over in her hand.

“Kara here is my best gift picker.”  The guy dressed in red had said.

She sat on the arm of the coach and gave the package a little testing shake.  There was no rattle.  Squeezing the package gently she could tell it wasn’t hard.  There was little resistance as she squished it a little more, to confirm her theory.

She toyed with the package a bit longer seeing if she could hazard a guess as to what it was.  Though she didn’t spend too long at it, once she realised what she was doing.

Was there a point in guessing if she didn’t have anyone else there with her?  She considered texting Kara her guess.  Kara would indulge her she was sure, but she was probably still busy with all the clean-up from the party.

So instead she slid onto the couch properly and just opened the wrapping.

A soft dog plush fell on her lap.

“I should have asked for a puppy,” she laughed as she picked up the little toy.

She couldn’t quite tell what breed it was meant to be with the cartoonish style and the faux fur.  It was black and brown in colour and soft to the touch.  A little tongue stuck out the side of its mouth.

She smiled placing it on the table.  She shook her head thinking about Kara’s display of finding the ‘perfect’ gift.  She picked up the wrapping to see what tell-tale sign Kara used to figure it out.  There was nothing distinctive on the paper itself, leading Lena to believe it must have been the wrapping it was wrapped in.

She went for her phone to text Kara thank you.  She typed out the message.  She reread it a few times to make sure she wasn’t going to come off as strong with her words.  She was only a little on alert after Tessa earlier.

Once happy, she still didn’t send it.  She tapped the side of the phone with her finger, trying to figure out what was missing.

Once the thought hit her, she moved to action before she could change her mind.  She deleted the message and switch to the camera.  Lena arranged the plush on the table with the hairband, trying her best to balance it on the soft toy’s head.  Size wise it was far to large to work.  It acted more like an arch over the dog, than a hairband.

Kara would get it though.

She snapped a photo and sent it off with a caption.

“The puppy was definitely the better choice.  Thanks Kara.”

She opened the photo again instead of closing the phone, and looking at the scene still in front of her.  She smiled softly studying it.

It was the first Christmas photo she had smiled at in a long time.

**Author's Note:**

> Myself and Sango-blep like to throw feels au at one another and this was one of them.
> 
> It was actually something we came up with last year and I meant to complete and post last Christmas... totally missed that deadline...
> 
> Sango also drew art to go along with this and you should totally check it out on her [blog](http://sango-blep.tumblr.com/)! I only cried a lot looking at how amazing it is. 
> 
> You can find me on [tumblr](http://chooseredemption.tumblr.com/)!


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